Daily Archives: August 27, 2013

Ereb Altor have announced that they will be releasing their latest album, “Fire Meets Ice,” in North America on October 15th on Metal Blade Records. The album was previously released via Cyclone Empire on July 26th throughout Europe. The Swedish trio, known for their melodic Viking metal mixed with elements of Bathory, Candlemass, etc; have previously released three full-length albums – “By Honour” in 2008, “The End” in 2010, and “Gastrike” in 2012. With “Fire Meets Ice,” it remains evident that Ereb Altor’s strength lies with their ability to meld black metal with the melodic tendencies with which fans would most associate the “viking” metal label. Fans can hear for themselves with the lyric video for “Nifleheim” at metalblade.com/erebaltor.

About “Fire Meets Ice“:
In 2012, it was time for a change of direction and pace. Viking Black Metal in the vein of early Bathory. Ragnar and Mats turn to a more aggressive musical direction when composing for Ereb Altor. On the album “Gastrike”, the Swedes present the listeners with a matured sound, but at the same time with a higher level of brutality and aggressiveness than on the highly acclaimed predecessor “The End”. Therefore, Ereb Altor’s sound also became closely tied to the legendary early works of Bathory. The epic hymns were enriched with a good portion of black metal elements, comprising of furious blast beats, thundering double-bass and aggressive vocal parts. “Gastrike” was a concept album and told tales, myths and ghost stories quite dark and the change of sound was necessary to reflect the lyrics in the right way.

However, the Swedes have not forgotten their traditional elements. Hypnotic melodies and sweeping parts will be present again on the new Opus “Fire Meets Ice” that will see the light of day the summer of 2013. On this new album which will be unleashed by Cyclone Empire in Europe and Metal Blade Records in North America Ereb Altor will summon the Norse Gods again and take the best parts from each sound of Ereb Altor’s history to create a varied masterpiece.

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The newly formed death metal group, Kill Division, composed of Richard Ebisch (guitars, bass, vocals), Susan Gerl (guitars, vocals) and Roel Sanders (drums), have finally unveiled new music from their upcoming album, “Destructive Force.” The first single, “Locked Up Forever,” was written by Gerl, who penned the lyrics for the entire record. The song was written about Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian woman who was held prisoner and tormented in a cellar for over eight years. The story made headlines in 2006 worldwide. Fans can hear “Locked Up Forever” now at metalblade.com/killdivision.

Destructive Force was recorded at Toneshed studio, the place they called home for many late nights, and mixed and mastered in Andy Classen‘s Stage One studio with hammer, care, and kerosene.

Musically, Destructive Force represents the group’s collective efforts. When the band first began rehearsing, they used some of Richard Ebisch’s old recordings as a starting point. Ebisch clarifies that they “had some very old recordings we used as a starting point for the first two or three songs, but changed and omitted riffs together. After the first three songs had been written that way, Susan and I started writing different, new riffs and combined them into songs.” Drummer Roel Sanders also added to the album, either by simply humming riffs, or rearranging song structures. In any case, Ebisch states clearly that “this entire album was written in the rehearsal room as a band process to which each band member contributed equally.”

Both Richard Ebisch and Susan Gerl tracked the vocals for Destructive Force. This is something neither guitarist had done in the past. Gerl comments, “recording the vocals was initially a challenge for us since we are first and foremost guitarists. Neither of us had any experience with singing that long and that much and recording our vocals this way. I used to do some additional vocals with my previous bands but had never recorded any vocals for a full length CD. But we were really well-prepared and had practiced our singing extensively beforehand. The recordings went smoothly and we are really happy with the way our voices sound on the album.”

On Destructive Force, expect a practiced, precise, and mercilessly heavy attack from three veterans of the European death metal scene!

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VISTA CHINO, the band formed by John Garcia and Brant Bjork that continues the legacy of Kyuss, right where it left off are weeks away from the release of their album Peace. Peace is set for a September 3 release via Napalm Records. The album can be pre-ordered on iTunes and Amazon. The artwork for the album was created by the renowned California art collective – The Date Farmers.

Request any tracks from Peaceon The Welding Room now!

Preview the album stream on SPIN.com. Check out an interview with Brant Bjork and John Garcia where they discuss the album track by track and hear all of Peace HERE.

VISTA CHINO will embark on a North American headline tour in support of Peace. Support on the tour will come from the Portland Oregon rock outfit known as Black Pussy. The tour kicks off September 6 in Calgary, Alberta and runs through September 28 in Columbus, Ohio.

Rising from the desert sands that birthed Kyuss Lives, VISTA CHINO‘s sound is instantly familiar. With the trademark soulful vocals of John Garcia, the songwriting and production of Brant Bjork (drums) and the fuzz-laden riffage of imported guitarist Bruno Fevery, VISTA CHINO‘s debut is one of the year’s most anticipated heavy rock albums. A new band born of a storied past, right now it’s about these players playing these songs.

GORGUTS recently announced a string of headlining shows leading to and from this year’s Hopscotch Festival. The trek, which begins on September 5 in Springfield VA, will travel through the festival before ending on September 8 in Worcester, MA. A full list of confirmed tour dates can be found below.

Few extreme bands have the pedigree of GORGUTS. From their early days as part of death metal’s first wave (including their legendary Roadrunner releases ‘Considered Dead‘ and ‘Erosion of Sanity’), through their transformation into one of most progressive and influential bands in extreme metal, GORGUTS has been impervious to trends, and a vehicle to expand and redefine the language of extreme metal.

The band’s 1998 album ‘Obscura’ sent a shockwave through the death metal word, and remains one of the genre’s most influential records to this day. Taking inspiration from classical composers, Lemay’s use of atonal noise and sounds as part of his compositions helped reinvent extreme metal guitar playing. Lemay’s techniques on ‘Obscura’ continue to be a major influence for young metal players to this day.

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Vancouver’s ANCIIENTS are the featured artist in the latest installment of “Converse x Decibel”. A mini-documentary about how the vast woodlands and epic mountain ranges of British Columbia influence the band’s elaborate and progressive songs is streaming now at Decibel Magazine.

ANCIIENTS recently announced new North American tour alongside TESSERACT and SCALE THE SUMMIT. The “Altered State North America 2013” tour is scheduled to start on Thursday, October 10, in Edmonton, AB and will run through the United States and Canada before ending on October 29.

The band have also seen their first-ever appearance in Guitar World as part of the magazine’s September issue. The band’s interview with Guitar World can be read here.

“At its best, Heart of Oak is immediate and electrifying, an album that suggests Anciients’ half-prog, half-pop metal is bound for big stages” – Pitchfork

“Anciients harness the power of prog for a greater good, making music you might actually remember. Scratch that — will remember. These guys are gonna be big” – Stereogum

“The band are nothing if not highly ambitious, as the wide range of sounds demonstrates, Anciients shifting from stoner rock to blasting death-lite to tricky, tech-y prog like no one’s business” – Exclaim

“Heart Of Oak is an impressive many-sided record that will please a diversified group of music fans. Devotees of all things metal and rock will find something that Anciients does to love” – Stereokiller